Combined contour making and leveling machine



March 31, 1942. I. F. FISHER COMBINED CONTOUR MAKING AND LEVELING. MACHINE 5 sheets-sheet -1 Filed April 29, 1940 INVENTOR I. F Fish or N M MN 2 ATTORN'EYS March 31, 1942. O .1. F. FISHER 2,278,349

O COMBINED CONTOUR MAKING ANDLEVELING MACHINE Filed April 29-, i940 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR I. F F: s h er M M ATTORNEYS 9 4 8 7 2 7 2 k E N I H c A M G N I L E v E L D N A G N I K A M R U 0 T N O C D E N I B M O c I. F. FISHER Filed April 29, 194Q 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 m w mw INVENTOR J. F Fi 5h er 4056.12. ATTORNEYS Patented Mar. 31, 1942 'coMBi-N-ED CONTOUR MAKING AND LEVELI-NG MACHINE. r V

v IlifFJFisherjFrench.Camp, Calif. k Application April- 29, 1940, Serial No. 332,203

eams. (01. 37, 169)- This inventionirelates to levleling scrapers, "my principalv object being: to provide a scraper: of

this general type so constructed: that contours or checks maybe made of such'form that theyv will be of compact and sharply outlined "cross section, as'is'desirable. v1

Other objects are to providea isc'raper constructed so that it will. carry. the dirt as scraped up without spilling the same; so that a contour or check as-formediwill'fnot be subsequently cut into by the implement; so that the scraping'blade may be easily'and quickly set for: different depths of cut; so that the dirt-may be discharged and the blade repositioned for scraping without :any backing up of the'scraper or other movement thereof other than a continuous forward movement; and so that ordinary leveling operations may be carried on as efiiciently as contour making.

A further object of the invention is to produce a simple and inexpensive device and, yet one which will be exceedingly effective for the purpose for which it is designed.

These objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the following Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawings, the'scraper comprises a substantially semicircular back portion or platform I merging into side beams 2 which are parallel and horizontal for a certain distance and then converge and turn downwardly with a vertical curvature as at 3 to a forward termination adjacent each other, wher an orificed plate 4 is mounted for supporting engagement with the drawbar clevis of a tractor. Rigid standards 5 depend from beams 2 just ahead of portion 1 and support a rotary shaft 6 on which are mounted the end discs I of the bowl. The bowl includes plate 8 (preferably three in number) radiating from the shaft between the discs and extending to the periphery of the discs in evenly spaced relation about the same. Scraping blades 9 project from the edges of the plates beyond the periphery of the discs a short distance.

Substantially ra-dialstop ledges I ll, spaced according to thebowl plates, project laterally'out from the discs, having guard or extensions l l projecting a short distance about the discs from the radially outermost end of 1 the stops in -a direction'opposite to the-direction of normal rotation of the bowl. One stop ledge onveachside of the bowl and at theback' thereof is normally engaged by an upstanding rod l2 depending from a transverse shaft [3 journaled under the-frame beams above thebowl. An a'rm l4 projects rearwardly from said shaft and overhangs an operators platform l5 mounted on the rear portion I of the frame.- A. spring. [G -normally pulls the arm down, so thatthe rods 12- are normally maintained in overhanging relation to the stops. The arm is lifted, to swing the rods rearwardly and clear of the stops, by a pedal lever member l1 pivoted on the platform and disposed so as to be convenient to the operator, who occupies a seat I 8 on the platform.

In addition to the support afforded the frame at its forward end when connected to a tractor, I provide a pair of wheels is disposed close to but ahead of the bowl.

The wheel axle 20 is supported in blocks 2| vertically slidable in guide plates 22 suitably mounted in connection with the side beams of the frame. Suitable means, operable from the seat I8, is provided to relatively raise and lower the blocks. In th present case, such means is shown as comprising a vertical rack 23 rigid with each block and engaged by a pinion 24 fixed on a transverse frame supported shaft 25. Rotation of this shaft is controlled by' a worm gearing unit of conventional form, indicated at 26, which is operated from a hand wheel 21 mounted in a position convenient to the operator on seat l8.

By reason of the above construction, and arrangement, it will be seen that relative raising and lowering of the wheels controls the cutting depth of the dirt engaging blade 9 of the bowl, and since such wheels are ahead of the bowl, they will not cut into and mutilate a contour as made.

By reason of the specific form of the bowl, a considerable load of dirt as scraped may be carried without spilling. When it is desired to form a contour, the pedal I! is depressed, which withdraws rods l2 from the engaged stops Ill. With the continued forward movement of the scraper, the bowl then rotates, depositing the carried dirt onto the ground without any spreading or dragging of the same, in the form of a compact mass of the shape and size desired for a contour or check as shown at C in Fig. 2.

Almost as soon as the pedal is depressed, it may be released, so that the rods are in position to engage the next stops, thus disposing the next blade in proper position for scraping without any backing up or reversal of the bowl being necessary, and leaving the formed check behind without disturbing it.

If the scraper is to be used for leveling purposes, the bowl is not disturbed, but its level is altered, when a leveling operation is to be performed, by proper manipulation of the hand wheel 21.

The rounded rear end of the frame enables the scraper to make turns close to the corners of a fenced area without interference, while its height from the ground enables the operator to obtain a better vision of the operations being performed.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that I have produced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A scraper comprising a frame which includes a solid platform disposed relatively high abov the ground, side beams projecting forward- 1y from the platform in substantial parallelism thereto for a short distance and thence extending forwardly and downwardly in converging relation to their forward ends, and a draft device rigidly connecting said forward ends of the side beams; a scraper blade, means mounting the blade under the frame adjacent its rear end, ground engaging wheels disposed ahead of the scraper blade, means mounting said wheels under th downwardly extending and converging side beams and for relative vertical movement, an operators seat on the platform, and means controllable by the operator from said seat for actuating the wheel mounting means, the platform being substantially horizontal when the scraper blade is in ground engaging position.

2. In an implement which includes an elongated frame disposed above the ground, vertically adjustable wheels supporting the frame substantially centrally of its ends, and a ground working member mounted beneath the frame rearwardly of the wheels; said frame comprising a solid rear platform disposed relatively high above the ground, side beams projecting forwardly from the platform in substantial parallelism thereto for a short distance and thenc extending forwardly and downwardly in converging relation to their forward ends, and a draft; device rigidly connecting the forward ends of said side beams; the platform being substantially horizontal when the ground working member is in ground engaging position and extending rearwardly from a transverse plane adjacent the corresponding plane of said member.

ILIF F'. FISHER 

